Of Pigs, Deer, And Butterflies
by NinjasWillRuleTheWorld
Summary: Ino is a freshmen student at Konoha Uni. Her long time crush, Shikamaru, also goes there. But when she meets Choji, and becomes good friends with him, will she be able to decide who she likes more?
1. I Hope We Can Be Friends

_**Hi! :D**_

_**This is just a little something I decided to write when I decided to have a crack at a romance fanfic. I like this pairing so I chose to write about them. The title took forever to come up with! Anyways, enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and I can't be stuffed coming up with some smartass comment to back this up.**_

**Of Pigs, Deer, and Butterflies**

**Chapter I – I hope We Can Be Friends**

"Morning, Ino!" Haruno Sakura called out to her best friend from her seat at the table in the cafeteria.

"Hi, Sakura", Yamanaka Ino trudged over to where Sakura was sitting and placed her bag down not too gently. Sitting down, she sighed loudly.

"What's wrong, pig?" Sakura took a bite out of her toast.

"Oh, nothing. Are you a little worried about starting University today?"

Ino and Sakura are freshmen students at the prestigious Konoha University. They are boarding students and today is their first day.

"Nah, not really. Go and get a piece of toast or fruit or something for breakfast. Our first classes don't start for another half hour".

"Okay", Ino stood up and got an apple for breakfast. The cafeteria was fairly big. There were plenty of places to sit and quite a range of foods to choose from. Ino went and sat back down.

"I have an art lecture this morning. What do you have?" Sakura took a sip of her orange juice.

"Cooking", Ino took a bite out of her apple.

"Oh! Save me some of whatever you cook, okay?" Sakura cheered happily.

"Sure thing".

"Hey Ino, Sakura", someone was walking up to the two girls.

"Hi Shikamaru!" Ino cheered out to her long time friend and secret crush (well, only Sakura knows), Nara Shikamaru.

"Good morning Shikamaru", Sakura smiled.

"So, what lectures do you both have?" Shikamaru sat down in the spare seat.

"Art".

"Cooking".

"Ah, that's too bad. I have philosophy", Shikamaru said.

"Ooh, Shikamaru! Good morning!" A loud voice disturbed the conversation.

"Uh, hello, Temari", Shikamaru said, turning around.

"Oh, hello Ino and Sakura", Temari said a little too sweetly, looking at them both.

"Good morning, Temari", they both chorused non-enthusiastically. Either Temari didn't notice their tone or she was ignoring it, and she went on talking to Shikamaru.

"We have the same class, Shikamaru! We should go now, so we're not late!" Temari said cheerfully.

"But there's still ages left before class actually begins", Shikamaru protested.

"We'll go now anyway", Temari grabbed his arm and dragged him off. Shikamaru looked over his shoulder and waved to the other two. Ino waved back and Sakura smiled.

"Looks like you have some competition for Shikamaru's affection", Sakura noted.

"He doesn't seem to like her much", Ino replied, holding the now finished apple.

"Yeah, I wouldn't worry about it".

The two of them sat around in the cafeteria for a little while and chatted, until it was around ten minutes until class.

"Right, I'm off. See you later, Sakura", Ino picked up her bag and threw the apple core into the bin.

"See ya, Ino. Don't forget, save me some of what you cook!" Sakura picked up her bag, threw her cup in the bin and waved. Ino walked off.

When Ino arrived to class she still had some time to spare. She didn't know anyone in this class so she sat on her own and pulled out her iPhone.

_I don't know anyone in here. Class is gonna suck! _

Ino was about to send the message to Sakura. Just then, someone sat next to her. Ino looked up. Sitting next to her was a well built, brown haired male with swirl patterns on his cheeks. He noticed Ino looking at him and turned to her.

"Hi there. Mind if I sit here?" Was all he said.

"H-hi. You can sit there if you want…" Ino stammered. She wasn't used to people greeting her if she didn't know them.

"I'm Akimichi Choji. What's your name?" Choji looked at the pale blue eyed, platinum blond haired woman with a smile.

"Yamanaka Ino", she replied. Choji offered his hand and Ino returned the gesture, shaking hands with him.

"Are you also alone in this class?" Choji asked.

"Yeah. I assume you are?" Ino tilted her head and put her iPhone away without sending the message.

"I come from a village a fair distance from here, so I don't know anyone yet. I was looking for someone to talk to, and I noticed you were sitting alone".

"Oh, okay. Well, I'm always happy to have company", Ino beamed at him.

"That's good. I hope we can be friends", Choji returned the smile.

Just then the teacher walked in. She had long black hair and vivid red eyes.

"I'm Yuhi Kurenai, and I'll be your cooking teacher for this semester", the woman said when she was standing at the front of the class. Kurenai proceeded to grab a container full of little slips of paper in it.

"I want each of you to come to the front of the class and grab a sheet of paper. There will be a colour on it. Search around the classroom until you find someone with the same colour. That person will be your cooking partner for the semester", Kurenai ordered. Everyone walked up and received their paper. Ino walked back over to Choji when she received hers.

"I have orange. What do you have?" Choji asked. Ino beamed and showed Choji her paper, which was also orange.

"What luck!" Choji grinned and they both walked back to their seats. Once everyone found their partners, Kurenai continued on with the lesson.

"Alright. For this session, I'm going to let you and your partner decide what you want to make. It must be a dessert, though", Kurenai instructed.

"Sweet!" Ino squealed quietly.

"What do you want to make?" Choji asked.

"How about chocolate pudding with hot caramel fudge sauce?" Ino smiled.

"Great idea!" Choji beamed at his new found friend. Suddenly, class didn't seem so bad for either of them.

This was the beginning of a close friendship.

**Next time, Ino introduces Choji to Sakura. Sakura also has someone to introduce too. Hopefully everyone will get along!**

_**So, like it? Hate it? Review, and tell me your thoughts please! :D**_


	2. Nice To Meet You Too

_**Happy Holidays Everyone (I think everyone's on holidays…)**_

_**Sorry this chapter took a while to post. I'm on holidays and I haven't had much spare time to write. I'm trying to update this story, 'The Adventures Of Kisame And The Kazekage', and 'Naruto: 50 Things To Do When You're Bored' right now. Anyways, enjoy! :D**_

**Of Pigs, Deer, And Butterflies**

**Chapter 2 – Nice To Meet You Too**

The pudding turned out fantastic and top marks were given out by Kurenai to the pair.

"It looks like I have some young connoisseurs in this class. Keep up the great work, you two!" Kurenai smiled at Ino and Choji. The two turned to each other and grinned.

"We make a great team, Choji!" Ino cheered.

"Yeah", Choji was elated to have a new friend. Pretty soon the bell went, and it was lunchtime.

"I have someone I'd like you to meet. She's my best friend", Ino was inviting Choji to join them for lunch.

"I wish I could say the same to you. I haven't seen my best friend in a long time", Choji sighed, "but I always welcome new faces! I didn't expect to even make one friend when I came here, and now I can have two".

"Why? What's stopping you from having friends?" Ino and Choji were now walking down the corridor.

"I'm insecure when talking to others. When I was younger, I was a little on the chubby side. Because of that, I was teased a lot. My whole body's grown to proportion now, but I still suffer low confidence", he explained.

"That's too bad. Least you were able to talk to me, though", Ino replied.

"Yeah".

Soon they had reached the cafeteria.

"Ino!" A familiar voice cheered out.

"Is that your friend there, then?" Choji pointed at the pinkette at the corner table. The corner table was a much sought after place to sit in the cafeteria. It was fairly isolated and had a lovely view of the yard and garden below.

"Ah, Sakura!" Ino waved and walked over, followed by Choji.

"Was class any good?" Ino asked.

"Yeah, it was fun! Our teacher, Might Guy, is a little weird but he's very passionate and motivated", Sakura said.

"That's nice", Ino smiled.

"Hey, who's this?" Sakura gestured to Choji.

"My new friend", Ino smiled.

"I'm Akimichi Choji, it's nice to meet you", he said warmly.

"Haruno Sakura. It's nice to meet you too", Sakura said happily.

"Nice score on a table, Forehead", Ino sat down, and Choji sat down next to her.

"Thank you. I know you like flowers as much as I do", Sakura said.

"My parents run a flower shop in town", Ino explained to Choji.

"That's great. My parents run a restaurant, but that's in a far off town from here. I'm boarding here", Choji said.

"That's nice. Do you miss your parents?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, but we write to each other".

"Good".

"Hey! Sakura!" A loud, cheerful voice interrupted the conversation.

"Naruto, come sit here!" Sakura called out. A boy with bright blue eyes and hair brighter than Ino's came bounding over.

"Thanks, Sakura!" The boy sat himself down happily and placed his bright orange backpack next to his chair.

"Mind introducing us?" Ino looked over at Sakura.

"This is Uzumaki Naruto, we're in the same class", Sakura said.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Yamanaka Ino", Ino smiled.

"Hi Ino! It's nice to meet you too!" The bubbly blond grinned.

"Hello, I'm Akimichi Choji", Choji introduced himself to Naruto.

"Hi Choji!" Naruto offered his hand in a knuckle bust, which Choji returned.

"So, we have a four person crew and it's only the first day!" Ino laughed.

"Yeah, I have a feeling this year is gonna be heaps awesome!" Sakura smiled happily.

"Oh, before I forget…" Ino started rummaging through her bag. She pulled out a container and offered it to Sakura. Sakura opened it and it held some of the pudding that they had cooked before.

"Ah! Thank you, pig! It looks delicious!" Sakura said cheerfully.

"Good afternoon all", a voice joined in the conversation. The four of them looked up. Shikamaru was standing there, and behind him stood Temari.

"Hi Shikamaru!" Ino and Sakura chorused.

"Hey Shika!" Naruto said happily.

"Oh, hey Naruto. I didn't know you came here!" Shikamaru and Naruto lived near each other and sometimes talked.

"Hello", Temari said, stepping forward. Ino and Sakura waved.

"No way… is that really you, Shikamaru?" Choji asked.

"Hm? What? Is that you, Choji!" Shikamaru started smiling.

"It's been years!" Choji said happily. Ino looked on with interest.

"Oh, yes. You remember I said I hadn't seen my best friend in a long time? That's him", Choji explained.

"Oh, well that's great!" Ino enthused. Shikamaru and Temari sat down. And then there were six. It was kinda awkward, considering the obvious disdain Temari had for Ino and Sakura, and vice versa. The boys didn't really notice. Lunchtime went on smoothly, though.

**Next time, classes are over for the day, and the crew of six decide to go for a little roam around the school grounds after hearing some rumours. Anyone up for a ghost hunt?**

_**I'm having so much fun writing this! I hope it's just as fun for the readers, too. So just click the pretty little review button and tell me what you think! :D**_


	3. Ghost? What Ghost?

_**Hi All! :D**_

_**I'm trying to update faster now because this story is proving to be a lot of fun to write. For a while now, I've been interested in the paranormal so I just had to add a chapter like this. Anyways, enjoy! :D**_

**Of Pigs, Deer, And Butterflies**

**Chapter 3 – Ghost? What Ghost?**

The rest of the week went by uneventfully but it was a nice way to start the year. It was the end of the day, and the group of six was sitting down to dinner. It was a nice, warm Friday evening.

"You know, we should go for a roam of the school grounds", Ino suggested, taking a bite out of a veggie wrap.

"What, tonight?" Sakura asked, enjoying a nice looking chicken salad.

"Yeah, tonight!" Ino cheered in response.

"Sounds like a brilliant idea to me!" Naruto had finished his cheeseburger and was now onto the fries.

"Roaming the school yard, after dark, sounds like the perfect set up to a horror film… but I like it!" Shikamaru smiled, glancing at Ino. Temari cringed.

"Are you nuts, Shikamaru? I don't want to go outside", she said, shuffling a little closer.

"Don't worry about it, there's nothing that could happen", Choji soothed, taking a sip of his coke.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that…" A cheerful voice joined in the conversation.

"And you are…?" Sakura looked up at the messy haired brunette with red markings under his black, animal like eyes.

"Inuzuka Kiba. This is Hyuuga Hinata", he introduced himself and the black-blue haired, violet eyed girl walking towards them behind Kiba.

"N-n-Naruto", she stuttered, blushing a little.

"Oh, hey Hinata!" Naruto cheered. She lived close to Naruto too.

"Hello Hinata", Shikamaru said, waving a little.

"H-hello Shikamaru", she replied quietly. Always shy Hinata had trouble talking to just about anyone, except her closest friend Kiba and her cousin Neji. She also had a huge crush on Naruto. Everyone knew, except for the knucklehead himself.

"And why wouldn't we say that, Kiba?" Sakura asked him. Kiba grinned.

"Don't tell me you haven't heard the rumours about the ghost!" He almost laughed.

"Ghost? What ghost?" Naruto was a little nervous when it came to topics like this one.

"Well, you may know this but this University is built on the location of an old orphanage", Kiba said.

"Well, yeah", Ino knew this much. The others nodded. That was pretty common knowledge here.

"They say that the old groundskeeper still haunts this place", Kiba said eerily.

"For real?" Sakura was rather interested now.

"Yes. They say he died when he lost his footing and fell of a roof and broke his neck. Now he roams the gardens just below here", Kiba pointed out the window near where they were sitting. Everyone looked out the window and then at each other.

"But it's just a legend, of course. No one knows if it's real or not", Kiba shrugged. Temari was quivering and hiding behind Shikamaru. Ino and Sakura grinned at each other in anticipation and Choji and Naruto looked at each other with excitement and nerves.

"All the more reason to investigate!" Ino was quite excited now.

"Alright then. Mind if I join then?" Kiba asked.

"All is welcome! The more the better!" Choji liked this whole idea and the more people that went, the more evidence they could collect.

"Great! Hinata?" Kiba turned to Hinata.

"W-well I…" She glanced at Naruto.

"C'mon Hinata! It'll be fun!" Naruto encouraged her to come along.

"A-alright then…" She nodded and Naruto flashed his trademark grin and she turned a deep crimson.

"Awesome! It's 6:30 right now. So meet in here at 9:00", Ino said. Everyone agreed. Hinata and Kiba left to go to their dorms and the others finished their meals.

"Alright. Guys, I'm done so I'll go to my dorm and get ready. Bring a camera with you if you have one, and be mentally prepared too", Ino stood up and threw her rubbish in the bin.

The dorm corridors were still alive with everyone chatting excitedly about their week and what they would do on their weekends. Ino's dorm was towards the end of the corridor, around five minutes walking distance of the meeting point. She entered her dorm and sat on her bed. It was a nice size, perfect for her. It had a bathroom attached too.

"With a shower, even", she marveled. There was enough closet space and her desk was nice. Even her bed was nice and soft. She sat down and pulled out her laptop from her bag.

"Google search. Old Konoha orphanage", she began researching. Indeed, there was the recorded passing of the old groundskeeper. His name was Momochi Zabuza. She had hours to relax so she set her camera to charge. A lovely camera, top quality recording and photos. Suddenly, there was a knock at her door.

"Ino, are you there?" It was Choji. Ino opened the door for him.

"What's up, Choji?" Ino asked.

"Well, there's hours to wait so I thought we could hang out", Choji shrugged. He was holding a camera and had his bag on his back.

"Sure, come in", Ino invited him in. Choji walked over and sat at the foot of her bed. Ino followed and sat against the bed head.

"I have a gift for you, Ino. It's a thank you for being my friend. I've already gone around to the others and given theirs", he rummaged through his bag. Suddenly he pulled out a box of Roses Chocolates.

"Oh, that's so sweet of you! Thank you, Choji!" She gave him a big hug. His heart fluttered a bit and he returned the hug.

"Hang on… I have something for you too", she leapt up and rummaged through her drawer. She turned, smiled, and held out something. Choji took it and smiled. It was a photo of the six of them. Their group. Ino had taken the photo on Wednesday and she had made copies and framed them, one for everyone.

"Thank you, Ino", he smiled sweetly and Ino returned the smile.

The two of them spent a while chatting and before long, it was 8:30 and dark outside.

"We should go early to the cafeteria", Ino said. Both left the room and Ino locked the door. They made their way to the cafeteria and sat down at the usual place. There were only a few people left in here, and it was relatively quiet. None of the rest of the group was here yet.

"Alright, we just sit and wait", Ino sat so she could see out into the garden, and Choji sat next to her.

They chatted for the next ten minutes before the next few people showed up.

"Hey guys!" Naruto cheered out. Following him was Sakura.

"Naruto doesn't have a camera, but I brought mine with me", Sakura smiled.

"Hey, but I brought my phone! It has a camera!" Naruto held out his phone.

"That's okay", Ino said. Naruto and Sakura sat down.

"Hey guys", Shikamaru walked out with his hands folded behind his head. Temari followed skittishly.

"Hey Ino, Sakura, Choji, Naruto", she said, smiling a little. They all waved. There were six of the eight there now and it was only 8:45.

"Seems everyone's kinda excited", Ino smiled at Choji, who was smiling back.

Around 10 minutes later, Kiba showed up with Hinata and another guy.

"Hey everyone. Sorry if we've been keeping you waiting. This is Uchiha Sasuke, and he wanted to join our little investigation", Kiba introduced the new guy. Sasuke nodded to each of them as a hello.

"I'm Yamanaka Ino. This is Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, Akimichi Choji, Nara Shikamaru, and Sabaku Temari", Ino pointed to each of them in turn and they gave their own little greeting, like a wave, nod, smile, or in Naruto's case, a self knuckle bust.

"Well, now that introductions are over and done with, let's start planning the investigation", Ino said, and everyone took a seat and nodded.

**Next time, the investigation begins! How will it go for the team of nine?**

_**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Rest assured I will update quickly because I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter a lot. The reason is I plan to put in, along with the investigation, some chemistry between some of the to-be couples. That just seemed like too much to pack into one chapter. Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Review and tell me your thoughts! :D**_


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